


Terms of Endearment

by Scythey



Category: Durarara!!
Genre: Dorks in Love, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Foreign Language, French-Speaking Shizuo, Humor, Introspection, M/M, Pet Names
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-19
Updated: 2014-08-19
Packaged: 2018-02-13 22:05:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2166855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scythey/pseuds/Scythey
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shizuo and Izaya have a dispute over something trivial. (As all couples generally do.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Terms of Endearment

**Author's Note:**

> Just to clarify, Shirley (or Shiri or Shuri) is the blonde girl that first appears in episode 8.

If it's world peace people are striving for these days, Shizuo and Izaya have already done half the work. Ikebukuro hasn't seen flying road signs or vending machines (or at least not frequently) and people have seen the two most infamous men in Tokyo standing side-by-side. Alive. And not scowling. But Ikebukuro has also become a new local attraction since the chance to capture the sight of them both surrendering a hand into a loving clasp between them came into existence.

The change in the air around those two was so drastic it was almost surreal. But of course, a few things have to remain unchanged for the world to actually still feel like it wasn't on psychedelic drugs. Their "pet names", as some people may call it, are an instance of consistency.

Nicknames emit a sense of camaraderie; one doesn't give an informal address to someone who's considered a mere acquaintance. But nicknames can also have an air of mockery with the right tone and words. And Izaya and Shizuo have had first-hand experience of expressing contempt through name-calling.

But until now, neither of them really gave much thought to their terms of "endearment". The two were out on a walk after a stop at Simon's sushi place, and as usual, they had to take out the leftovers since neither or them really had an appetite to finish what they ordered. They were having an argument about wasting money and food when they passed a couple a few blocks back that had the most mawkish pet names for each other. Both Shizuo and Izaya fell dead silent and telepathically knew what the new conversation topic would be once they could no longer hear the drawn-out coos and names like "Honey-Cakes", "Sweetie-Pie", and "Fluffy-Muffin-Bunny". (Izaya mused that any couple that didn't vomit when they were called "fluffy-muffin-bunny" by their lover had to be more oblivious to their public appearance than girls who "innocently" wore bandeaus in a red-light district.)

They learned that of the two, Izaya ironically is more bothered by his given nickname.

"’Flea’ is such a derogatory name, it’s far worse than ‘Shizu-chan’." Izaya argues swinging a take-out box of Russian sushi.

"To _you_. But now I’m used to mine, so suck it up and deal with yours because I happen to think it’s perfectly fitting.” Shizuo retorts with his hands contently fitted into his pockets.  
"I call you Shizu-chan because it's a phonetically pleasant name to hear and say. But how is 'flea' in anyway endearing?"  
"You can be endeared that I found the most perfect thing that resembles you. Annoying, parasitic, and elusive when people make the effort to kill you."

"You sure know how to delight people, Shizu-chan."

His tone may have been a little sarcastic, but Izaya was truly complimented at the comment. He takes pride in his cunningness and adores it when it is acknowledged. He wondered if Shizuo made the implicit compliment on purpose.

" _Bonsoir, Shizuo_!" A voice calls out.

Both men look in the direction of the voice and see Shirley. She smiles brightly and her trademark "Lost Things" sign that leant against her shoulder almost hit a car when it tipped back as she uses her free arm to wave at them. She bounces over to them with her notebook and marker clutched tight to her chest.

" _Bonsoir! Comment vas-tu_?" She says amiably, her Russian accent tinting her words.

 _French_? Izaya thinks.

" _Bien_." French and Shizuo was perhaps the strangest combination Izaya could ever imagine. When did he pick it up?

" _Ne sembles pas bien._ " Shirley says.

Shizuo pauses a bit. " _Dammit_. Run that by me in English, I didn't get that."

"You don't sound fine." She says with the tone of a mother concerned for her child. The sentimentality was kind of heartwarming until her eyes lit up and she gasps. "Lovers' spat?"

Good grief. She even says it like there is something to look forward to. Japanese yaoi-otaku-citizenship just might take over the world one day. Izaya wonders if that could happen faster than Hitler taking over Europe. For goodness' sake, if that ever happens, the Axis-Powers has to be a LOT smarter than the world gives it credit for.

"Kinda." Shizuo mumbles.

" _Ça va_?"

"You see, Izaya here isn't excited about letting me call him 'flea'."

Shirley's eyebrows knit together in confusion. She looks at Izaya who says, "Ласковое прозвище" and then her whole face snaps into realization and draws out a long "oh".

"And I think as long as I'm living with being called Shizu-chan, the little flea here should do the same."

"I repeat, there's a big difference!" Izaya says trying to assert his adamancy.

"Ah, but Izaya! Don't you see what a wonderful way you're being addressed?" Shirley says excitedly.

Izaya looks at Shirley dubiously. "Please, enlighten me."

"Well in France, "flea" is such a common nickname. It's like "darling" to the French. They say ' _ma puce_ ' or ' _pupuce_ '. Ah, the name takes me back. Oh Izaya! It's so adorable!"

He doesn't say anything. Izaya just doesn't say _anything_. There's an awkward pause, waiting for anyone amongst the three to say something. Shizuo smirks, looking at his boyfriend's stiff and distant face.

"Why would anyone call someone that?" Izaya finally rasps out.

Shirley shrugs. "I'm no etymologist. I'm not even French. But I do not wish for theory. If I were you, I would just enjoy the term."

Izaya is visibly unconvinced. Maybe most humans can revel in that sort of thing, but he knows he's not in that majority. He was never particularly empathetic with romantics.

Shirley quickly jumps into a few theories lest Izaya remains irrevocably unconvinced. _Jeez, the rational can be so hard to persuade..._ "Small things are cute, right? I mean you are in Japan, you understand. People in America say 'cute like a button', and that's kind of weird. Maybe because the flea's small, yeah? And 'ma puce' even sounds cute and little. Really, almost anything in French sounds nice."

"Well well, doesn't that sound like something someone said?" Shizuo says grinning at Izaya.

Izaya sighs irritably. It’s not that he isn’t able to rationalize all this sentimental crap. In fact, he can understand the sentimental similarities between names like "flea" and "doll-face", and he deems most dolls creepy with their unnervingly inaccurate yet recognizable imitations of human emotion. But right now, he’s having a hard time coming to terms with being comfortable with it. Izaya has never been one to settle for anything less than desired, but in mutual relationships there always have to be compromises, especially with Shizuo who's probably more unyielding than Izaya is.

"And the French never complain about pet names like that?"

"Perhaps some. But I do know that whether they were called ' _mon chou'_ , ' _mignon_ ' or ' _ma puce_ ', they were always so happy. And I have no doubt you will learn to love your pet name as well. As long as Shizuo looks at you with love in his heart and soul, you can love anything he does for you."

Shizuo nudges Izaya with his shoulder. "You get used to it. 'Promise." Then he adds in a muttered voice, "And it's also not as cheesy as it sounds."

"Is that a promise?"

"If you want it to be."

Izaya honestly had to dwell on making that decision. There were times when Shizuo was so romantic without intending to be, but he also tended to lean towards the cheesy side. But Izaya learned that only with Shizuo could he appreciate some of that stupid sappiness. It was a strange kind of triteness that had his heart bouncing on a trampoline in utter euphoria. So the ultimate question is: does being called " _flea_ " or " _puce_ " or whatever even graze a level of tolerability? Izaya grimaces at the idea of compromise. But perhaps (perhaps!) as long as Shizuo doesn't go too far down that path, he could feel some joy in being called a French term of endearment.

Izaya slowly pushes himself up on his toes to whisper his response in Shizuo's ear. "I'm your flea as long as Shizu-chan's mine to bother."

Izaya is pretty sure Shirley heard that, because she's grinning and clearly resisting a dire urge to bounce in place. His suspicion is confirmed when Shizuo slides his arm behind Izaya's shoulders and abruptly turns towards him, like a swing dance dip, to steal a quick and sloppy kiss. Izaya wished he hadn't let out the sound of surprise by the unprecedented display of affection. Shirley now has her face in her hands and twisting her body in some sort of contained expression of glee. Shizuo pulled him back up onto his feet before they became too noticeable, but Izaya is painfully aware of how unnecessarily conspicuous he and his lover were just then. In a place like Ikebukuro, there is no such thing as a secret.

Shizuo says, "I think we should get going Shirley. _Merci pour ton temps_."

" _De rien! Au revoir, mes petits tourtereaux!_ "

Shizuo shook his head as he put his arm around Izaya to head off. " _Tais-toi_..." He mutters to himself.

An arm slithers around Shizuo's waist and tugs him in, begging for attention. Shizuo reciprocates the action with tender affection.

"French, huh?" Izaya says looking up with a raised eyebrow.

"I needed to take up a hobby, and Shirley and I became pretty tight, so I'm learning French from her."

"And it couldn't be Russian? From her or even from Simon... maybe _me_?"

"Russian is an _ass_ to learn and you would know it." Shizuo hugs Izaya to his side with one arm and kisses the top of his head. " And you like it, _mon petit_."

"God you are so cheesy." Izaya rolls his eyes away from Shizuo. "I seriously hope that you don't rub off on me."

"So what if I do? I'll love you anyway, _ma puce_."

Izaya huffs. It'll take a while for the puce thing to sink in. "So damn cheesy..."

"But you're not telling me to stop." Shizuo points out.

"Touché."

They stop in their tracks and Izaya face-palms himself and groans. _Touché_? Wow. He couldn't have said "you have point" or "that's true"? Of all the things he could have said!

He doesn't look up from his hand, because Shizuo's victorious laughter is enough humiliation as it is. But maybe Izaya's love is a little masochistic, because beneath his face-palm Izaya smiles and whines to himself in Russian, "I don't completely know why, but I love you Shizuo. Even though you're a stupid, sexy, French-speaking bastard, _I_ will always love you anyway."

**Author's Note:**

> Why French? I heard she speaks Italian in the English dub, so I figured I'd give her a third language. I mean if you know one romantic language, it makes learning the others a lot easier. 
> 
> Translation? Nothing google translate can't handle.


End file.
